Shiroi Chingjao: Leimiwon's short stories and female issues

By: B.S. Rajkumar

Leimiwon's Shiroi Chingjao (short story, 73 pages, Rs 60/- published by the author in Imphal) is a rare present to Manipuri literature from a Tangkhul sister.

We may remember that Major Khathing who thrived during the days of Maharaja Churchand is the first Manipuri short story writer in record. He wrote a short story 'Ima Wa Tannaba' (Talking about mother) in which the concept of Manipur as the motherland of all the peoples living in the kingdom. There was such a time when people living in various parts of the geographical extension of Manipur had the vaguest idea about the holistic nature of the land.

The story was a timely path indicator from a Tangkhul gentleman who was already a major in the Indo-British army. As such Ukhrul is a land of story tellers– the Tangkhuls are born story tellers and no wonder, Leimiwon is one such. The book of twelve short stories is fresh and quite readable.

Manipuri is, we must not target, not the language of the Meiteis alone- it belongs to everybody living in the state. Many dialects, living or dead, had already taken root in the formation of this language. Thus we find many repetitious of the same object name in different dialects which were spoken in the past.

It would be of much help in the meaningful understanding of the language if we could divulge the secret of the dialectal occurrences with proper research. Today's Manipuri is soft when compared to the old one. If we duplicate the way of pronunciation using the harsher consonants like Ka, cha, ta, pa we can easily detect similarities between the old Meiteilon and the tribal dialects which all of us should well understand. It also shows the close affinity in the origin of the hill dwellers and the valley dwellers.

In this connection Leimiwon's own words stand witness, '... with the knowledge that I too have a share in the expansion of our mother literature which belongs to all of us, the Manipuris, I am publishing the book Shiroi Lily (short story) though it is not my real mother tongue' (Foreword) and how sweet it sounds sweeter to hear it from a writer like her and also would be so if we could hear more of these feelings from our fellow Manipuris living in the hills.

Manipuri language is for all of us and as it is now included in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution, there is every reason for all the writers living in the state to use it in one way or the other to claim our rights through this language and the honours that this language can bring.

Leimiwon's and Lanbon Kabuis of this state have every reason to entertain thoughts of getting seats among the Sahitya Akademi Award Winners and also other such awards. And we also understand that there are so many Tangkhul writers like– T Luikhaun, M K Shimray, RK Luikham, S Kanrei, YK Shimray, Kongshui Luithui, the late KK Hugh, then again PR Yangkahao, C Chipang, Somi Kasung, Stephen Angkang, LM Ngaranmi and many others.

Not only the Tangkhul writers, there are so many other writers in Hmar, Paite, Thadou, Mao, Paomei, Kabui, Anal, Kom, Chiru etc. We yearn to know how and what they have written. We hope they would publish some of their works in Manipuri also. GB show, WB Yeats were Irish, they wrote in English and became famous.

Joseph Cousad was polish, wrote in English and got a place in English literature. Nirad C Choudhary, Vikram Seth and their ilk are Indians writing in English and have become internationally acknowledged. A writer writing in another language can give fresh colour, insight and bring forth exuberant expressions that a native writer had not thought of Leimiwon has also some of these rare gifts.

Her stories mainly depict incidents related to women. She writes of love, separation, mixed marriages, happiness, sorrow, mythical beliefs and also of the humble, exploited ones. Leimiwon's women mostly belong to the hills, although a few are from the valley.

The soulful remembrance of a tribal woman married to a Meitei husband about her village is not an echo, it is a strain erupting direct from the heart. She has powerfully described the lot of many a tribal girl crossed in love by other people, of fatherless children and bring the realities clearly before the eyes. On the other hand, her deserted dames are mostly the sufferers through the chain of circumstances, not always the wilful playthings of Meitei lovers.

This story is not new. Desertion is not a new thing. It is happening today also among the Meiteis themselves, among the tribal peoples also. But the sufferer is the woman, she it is who false into the evil clutches of blind faith which may be sometimes called love– the greatest sinner.

But, beware when it becomes the subject of a love affair between a Meitei and a tribal girl, the situation becomes dangerous–due to the fragility of understanding and racial tensions these days caused by lack of understanding and the evil machinations of a few power thirsty people. These are sad times when peace has left us. But Leimiwon shows an understanding touch as in the story 'My Anonymous Father' in which the girl Abinao finally meets her Meitei father after much yearning.

But, he is not able to take her into the family fold and makes her to live in Kakhulong. It is Leimiwon's protest, a protest against the inability to accept doing away the moth-eaten precept. She finally lets Aninao suffer her fate saying-'God, without the difference in religion and races, how fine your creation would have been.' (p.9) In 'Whose Fault It Is' (p.66) Chaoba, a Meitei teacher in the hills could not get the hands of Abinao, his love as her parents did not agree to the betrothal.

But, she had been carrying his seed. Abinao spent her life unmarried and when Chaoba Finally came to know of his son, he took him in into his family. Such stories with related themes form the majority of this collection.

In the story 'Society Today' Leimiwon brings in a reversal of situation by making Shilla, the daughter of a Tangkhul government employee who falls in love with Romesh, the agriculture officer posted there, a Meitei orphan turned into a Tangkhul girl due to adoption. She came to know of the secret much later, after she had carried Romesh's child in her womb. Unhappily, the two could not unite in wedlock though Romesh had not the slightest idea to desert her.

Leimiwon can write beautiful love stories as the story 'That Day's Story' shows. The story is about the love between a young man and a girl who is a couple of years older than him. They could not become united. She also shows shades of empathy into the sufferings of common and humble lives which the story 'An Old Woman ad the Child' amply depicts. She also has a streak of humour in her veins.

Her stories are full of unexpressed suffering, anguish and unreckoned lives. These stories are, to some extent, visible representations of man woman relationships in a racial context full of reversive consequences. The female issues need serious consideration and study. We may also ask whether the tribal are marginalised by the valley people?

Or whether don't all of us belong to the marginalised set in the present social context? Or whether the hill people let themselves believe they are being marginalised? We may understand that there was a time under the royal elitism when these people were somewhat thought rather in a sense of unequality.

But, in those days, the majority of the Manipuri population outside the royal blood belonged to the group of the 'other' or what is also called the subaltern which is a clear misnomer. The rural people were the other, the hill people were the other, the people outside the authority irrespective of creed or place were the other.

Now it is no longer in existence, in fact, it is a past shadow. Even though a few shreds may be there, these are mostly individual creations. We must not forget that Manipur is composed, of the hills and the valleys.